The initial strategic choices of the Center were strongly influenced by a series of reviews of the water situation initiated by the IDB during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The establishment of ICBA occurred in response to increasing concern about shortages of fresh water for agricultural as well as urban landscaping use, especially in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. Since that time this concern has escalated throughout the world.

In the Strategic Plan covering the period 2000-2004, the Center’s stated mandate was to investigate the potential for the use of saline groundwater to alleviate this growing constraint, and to share this knowledge widely.

Over the last ten years, ICBA has achieved the following key achievements:

• Expanded from two to more than two dozen research and developments projects, with more than half of them being undertaken in outreach locations with partners
• Working with the host country as partners on numerous projects ranging from the Abu Dhabi Water Master Plan, the Soil Survey in Abu Dhabi, the investigation of elite date palm for salt tolerance and forages for sheep and goats
• Partnerships with IDB-member countries range from Central Asia and the Caucasus, through South Asia (Bangladesh and Pakistan), to the MENA region (Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, the UAE and Yemen) and the WANA region (West Africa and North Africa)
• Partnerships with the private sector range from companies as diverse as the Petroleum Development of Oman, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Development, the National Prawn Company, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai Properties

• Procured and conserved more than 9,415 germplasm accessions representing 221 species of forage and field crops from 134 countries

• Attracted a significantly larger number of donors from both the private and public sectors, thus building on our major flagship support from the Islamic Development Bank

• 850 individuals from 44 IDB-member countries trained, including 250 UAE nationals

• Prepared for the future with an extensive consultation process with partners and stakeholders and subsequent formulation of a Strategic Vision leading to the Strategic Plan 2008-2012.

Incorporating feedback from partners, stakeholders and staff, the Strategic Plan 2008-2012 outlined our new mandate as being:

ICBA will help water-scarce countries improve the productivity, social equity and environmental sustainability of water use through an integrated water resource systems approach, with special emphasis on saline and marginal quality water.

To realize this vision, ICBA has replaced its existing programs with 3 programs:

1. Integrated water resource system
2. Marginal quality resources
3. Capacity building and Knowledge-sharing.

The fourth program, Finance and Administration, an existing one, will continue to play an integral role in support and management to ensure an efficient business platform for ICBA’s scientific endeavors.

Plans for 2009 include the ongoing implementation of the ICBA Strategic Plan 2008-2012 and the continuation of ongoing contractual projects as well as in-house core projects.

The tradition established over the last ten years of ICBA working closely with its partners in national program, regional and international research centers, and development agencies will receive fresh impetus from the new Strategic Plan. Partners and donors have been critical components of the ICBA success story, and we look forward to continuing this essential relationship into the future.